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Resentencing Resources
Prison Law Office: Penal Code § 1172.1 Recall and Resentencing
This guide provides an understanding of what offers a step-by-step breakdown of how PC 1172.1 empowers courts to recall an existing sentence and resentence and who is eligible.
It outlines legal rights, timelines, and procedural protocols, for the latest statutory reforms and offers
a roadmap for initiating and navigating a resentencing petition.
Ella Baker Center for Human Rights: Paths to Release for People Incarcerated in California
This guide outlines the legal pathways and post-conviction relief options available to incarcerated people. It provides step-by-step information on eligibility, application procedures, legal references, and support resources across three main routes:
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Parole Options - including Medical, Elderly, Youth Offender, and Proposition 57 early review.
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Resentencing Opportunities - such as under PC §1172.1, SB 483 (RISE Act), the Racial Justice Act, Compassionate Release, and more.
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Clemency & Medical Reprieve - guidance on commutations and medical reprieve directly from the Governor.
Ella Baker Center for Human Rights: Back To Court: A Resentencing Guide for PC 1172.1
This guide answers frequently asked questions such as:
How do I file a resentencing application?
How do I file a resentencing petition?
Do I need to hire an attorney to get resentencing?
Is there a PC 1172.1 petition or application I can file with the court?
For the People: Resentencing & Reentry Support Guide
This guide offers a step-by-step toolkit to support individuals incarcerated in California who are pursuing prosecutor‑initiated resentencing under AB 2942.
It also provides guidance and templates for key supporting documents:
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Personal statements (e.g., remorse letters, accountability statements, journey narratives)
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Relapse Prevention Plan (identify triggers and coping strategies)
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Reentry Plan (housing, employment, and community support roadmap)
Parole Resources
UnCommon Law: Parole Resource Library
UnCommon Law offers several resources to help people prepare for parole in California. Including:
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Step-by-step guides to understand the parole process, from initial preparation to what happens after a grant.
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Tools on answering prep questions and handling risk assessments.
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Support for closing statements and book reports.
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Specialized guides for compassionate release and individuals with ICE holds.
Families United to End LWOP (FUEL): Parole Resource Library
Families United to End Life Without Parole offers several resources to help people prepare for parole in California. Including:
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Book report guides and other educational resources
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How to challenge a comprehensive risk assessment
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Support
Also includes specific resources for elderly and/or youth parole.
Human Rights Watch: Youth Offender Parole- A Guide for People in Prison and Their Families and Friends
This guide offers a comprehensive, step-by-step resource for people in California who are eligible for Youth Offender Parole Hearings. It helps individuals understand their legal rights and prepare for hearings. The guide includes:
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Eligibility criteria for Youth Offender Parole
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How to prepare for parole hearings, including risk assessments, personal narratives, and legal strategy
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Definitions of MEPD and EPRD
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How to reflect on personal growth, accountability, and transformation
Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (LSPC): Lifer Parole Packet
Legal Services for Prisoners with Children compiled resources from other organizations to explain and offer support the parole process, specifically for those serving life sentences.
For the People: Resentencing & Reentry Support Guide
This guide offers a step-by-step toolkit to support individuals incarcerated in California who are pursuing prosecutor‑initiated resentencing under AB 2942.
It also provides guidance and templates for key supporting documents:
-
Personal statements (e.g., remorse letters, accountability statements, journey narratives)
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Relapse Prevention Plan (identify triggers and coping strategies)
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Reentry Plan (housing, employment, and community support roadmap)
Community Organizing / Educational Resources
Initiate Justice: Thinking About Our Movement- A Political Education Resource Guide for Impacted Leaders
This guide offers an important introduction to political education for system-impacted people, covering the history of mass incarceration, community-organizing strategy, campaign planning, and narrative framing. This guidebook helps build the knowledge and skills needed to organize for systemic change.
Critical Resistance: Resource Guide for Teaching and Learning Abolition
Abolition is the movement to eliminate prisons, policing, and surveillance as primary tools for addressing harm, and to replace them with systems rooted in care, accountability, and community safety.
The guide is structured by six key questions: “How did we get here?” “How does the prison industrial complex work?” “What is its purpose?” “Who is impacted?” “What do abolitionists want?” and “How do abolitionists struggle?”
Californians United for a Responsible Budget (CURB): How to Stop a Jail in Your Town
Californians United for a Responsible Budget has pulled together 10 resources to assist in organizing against jail expansion in our communities.
"If you’re wondering whether your county really needs more jail cells – or if you’re already deter-
mined that it doesn’t, we have put together some resources to help you and your neighbors sort
through what some of the key issues are, what the policy alternatives to jail expansion are and what
you can do to move your county away from a disastrous jail expansion project."
Harvard Kennedy School: “No Prison in East L.A.!” Birth of a Grassroots Movement
The Mothers of East Los Angeles (MELA) formed in 1986 to fight the expansion of the prison-industrial complex in their community. When the state announced plans to build a CDCR prison in East LA, MELA organized to stop it. Comprised largely of working-class Chicana and immigrant mothers, the group mobilized residents, held public demonstrations, and built coalitions with environmental and civil rights groups. Their efforts led to the successful halt of the proposed prison for East LA and they have since continued efforts for environmental justice.
